Jonathan India’s arc since leaving Cincinnati is the kind of reminder teams can’t ignore when they find a young player worth believing in.
India was a fan favorite with the Reds, and he gave them plenty to enjoy after breaking through in 2021. That rookie season ended with a .269/.376/.459 line and 21 homers, production that made him look like a long-term building block.
But the years that followed have not matched that start. Last season with the Kansas City Royals, he hit .233/.323/.346 with nine homers, and this year his season was finished by the end of April because of a shoulder injury.
That matters in the conversation around Sal Stewart, even though Stewart came along after India had already moved on. India was the 2021 NL Rookie of the Year, and Stewart is making a strong push for the 2026 version of that award.
The point isn’t that Stewart is destined to follow the same path. It’s that a promising young player should not be left hanging when the signs are this good.
Stewart may never hit his ceiling, and that’s exactly why the Reds should be thinking about an extension now rather than later. The upside is obvious enough on the field, but the value goes beyond that. Cincinnati needs a face of the franchise, and Stewart has a chance to become one if the organization commits to him long-term.
Around the league, pre-arbitration extensions have become a real trend, and the Reds had seemed slow to join in until they extended Chase Burns. It’s never a risk-free move.
Young players can flash big-time talent and then struggle once the league adjusts. But when the bet works, the payoff can be enormous.
Stewart looks like the kind of player worth betting on.
There’s also the part that doesn’t show up in a stat line. Stewart recently visited the Cincinnati Bengals and made an impression with his humor. He comes across as open, easy to talk to, and genuinely insightful, while also carrying himself with a likable energy.
That vibe brings Joey Votto to mind, even if the humor lands differently. Votto leaned dry; Stewart seems to play with a constant sense of wonder, the kind that makes it clear he’s living out a childhood dream.
That matters to a fanbase. It helps tie a team to its city.
It gives young fans someone to look up to. And when that kind of personality is paired with star-level production, the value becomes bigger than just numbers.
That’s the player Stewart looks like he’s becoming, and that’s why the Reds should make room in the budget to keep him around for the long haul.
In Other News...
Reds Prospects Are Running Out Of Time To Stay In The Plan
The Reds farm system still has name recognition, but a few of the organizations once-promising prospects are starting to press against the clock. Cam Collier, Leo Balcazar, Jay Allen II, Zach Maxwell and Austin Hendrick all remain part of the conversation in Cincinnati, yet each is carrying different versions of the same problem: the production has not matched the pedigree, and the minor league calendar keeps moving.
That matters now because the Reds have roster choices coming, from Rule 5 Draft protection to 40-man decisions, and those calls tend to expose where a club really stands on a player. For a group that was supposed to keep climbing together, the next stretch feels less like a runway and more like an audition, with little margin left for another lost season or another step backward. [Read more 🡒]
Sal Stewart Has Reds Fans Watching A Rookie Race Get Personal
With about a month left in the season, Sal Stewart has turned the National League rookie race into one of those late-summer scoreboard watches Reds fans know well. The Cincinnati infielder is tied with St. Louis Cardinals rookie JJ Wetherholt for the top spot in the rookie rankings, and Stewart has given himself a strong case by leading in several key offensive categories, including RBIs, home runs and extra-base hits.
Wetherholt, though, has answered with the kind of all-around profile that can sway voters once September arrives, thanks to his defense and a higher WAR. So the contest is shaping up as a true photo finish, with every big night carrying extra weight and the final verdict likely coming down to how each player finishes over the stretch run. [Read more 🡒]
Elly De La Cruz Trade Interest Put Reds Fans On Edge
The Reds stayed active at the 2026 trade deadline, moving Nataniel Lowe to the Cleveland Guardians for a young pitcher and sending Caleb Ferguson to the St. Louis Cardinals for international bonus pool money. Around those deals, there was plenty of chatter about Cincinnatis broader direction, especially with Elly De La Cruz still the kind of player other clubs keep circling whenever the market opens up.
Boston was one of the teams linked to De La Cruz, which was enough to put Reds fans on edge for a few hours. In the end, though, Cincinnati held onto its shortstop, keeping the focus on what it has in front of it rather than what it might have given up, while the clubs recent buzz also included Dane Myers winning MLB Play of the Week and Eugenio Suarez reaching his 205th career home run as a Red. [Read more 🡒]